On Monday June 12, the Algerian Ministry of Defense announced the arrest of a suspected “terrorist” in Tamanrasset. The arrest is in fact linked to the upsurge in deadly guerrilla operations carried out in recent days by Tuareg independence fighters against the Algerian army in the far south of the country.
In a press release issued on Monday June 12 and picked up by the local media, the Algerian Ministry of Defense announced that “the terrorist Rikan Ahmed, alias Abou Khadija, was arrested this Sunday June 11, in Tamanrasset (6th military region), by elements of the security services”, before adding that “he was active within terrorist organizations in the Sahel”.
Knowing that the Algerian regime is well acquainted with all the terrorist groups active in the Sahel, at least by name, one wonders why this communiqué did not give more details about the terrorist’s affiliation. The reason is crystal clear: it’s an attempt to disguise the arrest of a Tuareg independence fighter.
The use of the definite article (“the” terrorist) in the title of the press release announcing the arrest clearly suggests that the person concerned is of Algerian nationality. The “Mouvement pour la libération de Tamanrasset et Adrar” (MLTA), also known as the “Mouvement de libération du sud algérien”, has been behind numerous attacks against the Algerian army for several years. This group is the Algerian branch of the Arab-Touareg separatist movements operating in northern Mali and Niger.